Promises 0: What is Forever?
by syaoran no hime
Summary: HoroTamao. Horo Horo is her first and only best friend. He is the extension of her life and strength. And if he disappears...
1. Default Chapter

I was browsing through a Filipino herbal book when I came across a plant that I often see but I never have known what is its name's English equivalent. Anyway, enjoy!

Promises 02 

**Prologue: Mimosa**

"I know that plant is around here somewhere…" said Horo Horo as he and Tamamura Tamao hiked through the backyard of Yoh's family house- the forest of Izumo.

Yoh was sick with fever and Anna ordered him to get the herbal plants she needed to make some medicine for her fiancé. And since the democracy in the house was futile against the will of the future mistress of the house, he was forced to do what she ordered. 

He glanced at Tamao, who was evidently struggling to just keep up with his pace. He was used to walking in the rough paths of the mountains, but he knew Tamao wasn't. She was used to the confines of the Izumo house, so walking in the woods with a semi-stranger mustn't be exactly a very relaxing experience for her.

He caught her glance at him, and when she realized that he did so, she blushed profusely and looked back down.

He sighed- maybe he wasn't having a very good hair day, that was why she was so nervous of him. Or maybe when she was serving Yoh and him and Ren and the other guys the other night…well, he was a little tipsy with the four bottles of beer he drank, so he was a little rowdy. And according to Chocolove, he couldn't stop teasing Tamao. Something about her being so cute but boyfriendless at the age of 13…

"Tamao?" he said.

"H-Hai?" She stiffened.

"No, I won't eat you. You can put the branch down," he said wryly when he noticed her gripping a piece of loose branch that she picked up awhile ago.

She blushed some more. "G-Gomen nasai! I didn't know I was still holding on to this-" She threw the branch panickedly, and it hit the back of his head accidentally. She freaked out. "A-Ah! G-Gomen, Horo Horo! I didn't mean to-"

He groaned. "Never mind. So how many pieces of these Chinese oranges do we need?"

"Let's just get all that we can take," she said, taking off the basket that hung on her shoulders like a backpack.

"Very well." He proceeded to pick the best looking of the fruits. She knelt down beside him and started to gather the fruits too.

"Ah, I hope Master Yoh will be well when we bring this home and Anna-okami finishes in turning these into his medicine," she cried.

"You worry too much," he said. "It's just a fever. Yoh will be fine, don't worry."

"I-I can't help it…Master Yoh rarely gets sick ever since he was a child. Not even a cold or a cough. It's just so…unusual…" Her cheeks flushed when she realized that she had spoken words more than she usually allows herself to.

To this, Horo smiled. "Go on. I'm listening."

"I-Iie…gomen for boring you. Let's just finish gathering these so we can take them to Anna-okami already." Tamao hurriedly dusted her pants and stood up, slinging the basket on her shoulders.

"Yeah," he agreed. It had just been weeks since the fateful battle between Yoh and Hao, and his body was just starting to manifest the pains and injuries he incurred in his battle with his brother. "I'm hungry, and I think I'm starting to see double visions-" He grinned when Tamao bowed, apologizing profusely. "Joke, it was just a joke! I'm still fine! No, it's alright. It's not your fault that you're slowing us down! Wait, it is…" He slammed his hands over his ears, laughing when Tamao's high-pitched voice reached its peak, repeating "Gomen nasai" over and over.

Horo watched as Anna took the fruits then knelt down beside her fiancé. "Yoh?" she said in a voice that he never would imagine could belong to Anna, what with its softness and tenderness.

"A-Anna?" asked Yoh, opening his eyes weakly.

The itako slammed her itako beads on Yoh's neck. "Get up and make your juice! You need fluids to get well!"

"Hai! Hai! I'm getting up already!" The shaman had no choice but to get up from his bed and do what his fiancée says. Horo groaned.

"Man you are like, so henpecked!" said the Ainu, patting Yoh's back sympathetically.

"What can I do? I am totally crazy about her," smiled Yoh, then chuckled.

In the kitchen, Tamao was busy making dinner. Her eyes widened when she saw him and Yoh walking into the kitchen, laughing idiotically. 

"M-Master Yoh, you shouldn't be standing up already! You're still sick!" she cried.

"I'm fine," he said, shrugging dismissively. "I'll just go make some juice-"

"L-Let me do it!" Tamao dove for the glass Yoh was holding, and she accidentally shoved the glass to the floor. It shattered into pieces, causing Tamao to freak out.

"I-It's ok-" said Yoh, sweatdropping when Tamao began to apologize panickedly. "Tamao-"

Horo Horo suddenly placed his hand on her mouth and pulled her face towards his chest. "Okie-dokie, quiet down. Yoh says it's fine."

She stiffened, then stopped wiggling.

Yoh blinked. "Did you suffocate her?"

He looked down and loosened his hold on her head. "Tamao?"

Her very red face looked up. "G-Gomen. I just couldn't stop my mouth when I apologize, but I am sorry. I won't do it again. Really, I'm so-"

Horo promptly pulled her head back to his chest, sighing. "She's still not calm. Go fix yourself the juice before Anna gets impatient."

"You're right." Yoh hurriedly fixed his drink then went back to his room.

Horo loosened his hold on her head once more. "OK, you think you can talk much more calmly now?"

She nodded.

"Heh, so that's how I should pacify you," he said, propping his elbows on the back of his head.

"I…I just don't like causing trouble to other people…that's why I get freaked out when I do," she explained, cheeks still pink. "Gomen nasai."

He looked at her for what seemed like an eternity before he stood up resolutely and pulled her hand. "Come with me."

"Er, Horo Horo-san, w-where are we going?" she asked, stammering.

He ended up taking her back to the forest. "I know it's just around here somewhere…"

She looked at him expectantly when he exclaimed, "Eureka!"

"Look at this plant," he instructed her as he knelt before a tiny shrub.

"The mimosa plant," she said.

He stretched his finger towards its leaf and gently touched it. The leaves instantly folded.

Tamao blinked, then looked at Horo who was gazing at her. "Er, Horo Horo-san, why did you show me this? I am aware of this plant."

"Do you know why the leaves fold up when it is touched?" he asked.

"Er…not really. All I know is it just reacts that way to change of light, or temperature, or touch. Why, Horo-san? Do you know?" she asked.

He grinned. "No. That was why I was asking you."

Her reaction was instant. She slammed her hand on his nape. "You're just teasing me!" 

He grinned. "Got ya! I thought you won't hit me, then I'm sure you are destined to be a saint!"

"Eh?" she paused.

"I'm glad to know that you can get mad, because if you can't, then you're worse than Hao Asakura. It's nice of you to be polite and sweet, but you can't be like that all of the time. It won't hurt to show your feelings most of the time. If you are mad, do not be afraid to do something about it," he replied.

"I brought you here because you reminded me so much of this mimosa plant, that one touch could make it fold up already. It's just so fragile…sometimes I hate it, because it can't stand up to defend itself and be strong."

She bit her lip when she remembered that he compared her to it awhile ago.

"But there are also times that I want to take care of it, protect it and shield it from all kinds of things that would dare touch it," he continued. "It's not the mimosa's fault that it was like this…Kami-sama made it to be like that. So I guess the only thing I can do is to help the mimosa to be strong…just by being by its side." He smiled at her. "How about you, Tamao? Want my help too?"

She froze. Was he offering her his hand of friendship?

It was the first time that someone actually took time to talk to her…_really_ talk to her. It was the first time that someone made her feel so important and worth caring for.

She smiled slowly. "Hai, Horo Horo-san. Help me to learn how to be strong."

She accepted his hand, and it began the friendship between them that would be so powerful that it would transcend so many things, even mortality itself.

**To be continued**


	2. One Year After

Chapter 1: One Year After

"Tamao?" My head peeked into her tidy pink and white room, my eyes running around the room until I found the person I was looking for. She was still lying on her bed, eyes shut.

My brows knitted in concern. "Flower, it's already past nine in the morning. What are you still doing there in bed?" I let myself into her room and sat down beside her, ruining the perfectly made bed of hers. She was the only one I knew who could make beds the way those freaky but sexy nurses do in hospitals.

"Horo Horo-kun?" she whispered hoarsely. "I didn't ask you to come in. You have to wait outside the door before a lady permits you into her room."

I had to smile. It was one of the subtle reminders that a year had already gone by since Tamao and I became friends. She could already call me by name without the –san suffix, and yes, she had more guts now, enough to tell me casually that I was the epitome of hentainess and vanity…and yes, she does tell me already to go to hell. It was a big improvement, indeed. However, she could still be a little nervous when it comes to Yoh Asakura. Ah, indeed, first love never dies.

But that isn't my business anymore.

I tried to take her blanket away when she pushed me awkwardly. 

"Tamao?" I asked, frowning.

Her face turned pink- when Kami-sama showered the giggly females with blushes, Tamao sure caught the lion share of them. "Horo-kun, onegai. Wait for me outside."

"Make me leave," I said, deciding to pester her a little.

Her face turned pinker. "Iie...you don't understand…"

"Hontou ne?" I was amused by the panic in her face. She must be hiding something from me- one year was enough for me to memorize her gestures, especially the signs of her discomfort and panic.

"Come on, Horo-kun, please wait for me outside. I'm going to get up already-" She stopped talking and instead tucked her knees under her chin, wincing in pain.

And it was then that I turned serious. "H-Hey, Tamao, what's the matter? A-Are you sick?" I ran my hand on her soft, rose-colored hair. "Hey, Tamao!" My voice was soft, but urgency radiated in it.

"J-Just my abdomen…" she whispered.

"T-The left or the right?" Panic rose in me. Was it appendicitis? Please Kami-sama don't let it be so! I placed my hand on her stomach and pressed it firmly. "It hurts here?"

She gasped, and I realized why- no one touched her in there before. I could have laughed at her, but concern whether it was appendicitis or not took over me. "Tamao, where does it hurt, left or right?" I asked as I tried to remember whether the appendix was placed on the left or the right.

"Everywhere," she whispered, voice breaking.

"I-I'll take you to the doc-" I stopped talking when I saw the telltale red drops on her blanket.

My eyes widened. "T-Tamao?"

She bit her lip.

"Did I press on your stomach too much?" I asked fearfully as I looked at the blood.

"Horo-kun no baka!" She threw her pillow at me. "I have a period! My first period!"

"F-First?" I was confused at first, then I realized what she meant. I grinned. "What a relief! Back there I thought I caused you to bleed-"

"Horo-kun!" she cried, scandalized.

"Hey, hey, it was just a joke!" I raised my hands in surrender.

"Well don't make fun of _it_!" she yelled. "It is a sign of my formal entrance to womanhood! It's a proof that I'm a virgin! It testifies that I am capable of childbearing! It means-"

I placed my hand on her head and pressed her face onto my chest. "Okie-dokie. That will be enough, Tamao."

She was about to protest when her hands went back to her abdomen again. I released her immediately. "If it really hurts, I'll take you to Faust-"

"Anna-okami told me about this already. It hurts at first, but if I succeed in bearing the pain, it will be like heaven-" Despite her pain, her eyes narrowed at me, who was smiling a little. "You are so perverted, Horo-kun. You're thinking about hentainess again."

"Of course not!" I cried in mock indignation. "Anyway, I'll go ask Faust what else can I do for you. Just hang on, ok?"

As I shut the door, I couldn't help but smile.

She was now a lady, hopefully no longer the crybaby.

Later, I was pressing a hot compress on her abdomen while chatting animatedly with her about the latest joke Chocolove gave us. Lately, his humor was improving- it was centering on Ren Tao more and more.

Tamao seemed to be forgetting her abdominal pain. She was giggling at my Ren Tao impersonations. 

This inspired me more to give my award-winning performance. "Kisama…do not laugh at my height! When I defeat Yoh and I become the shaman king, the first people I'll extinguish are those who created those futile calcium formulations in my milk drink! Those liars!" I hissed, and she doubled over, laughing.

"H-Horo, t-that's mean!" she said in between giggles, as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Then I'll slaughter that salesman who offered me elevator shoes!" I said, still in my Ren Tao mode.

"Oh god," she laughed some more, and at the same time, she looked like she was praying that Ren won't pay us a visit and overhear me saying these.

Just then, the door opened, revealing Faust. He sweatdropped. "I thought the patient was in pain."

I grinned proudly. "Let's just say that I'm a better doctor than you are, for I gave her the best medicine."

"Laughter?" the necromancer guessed.

"Something much better. My good-looking face."

Tamao slammed her pillow at me, face red. "Horo-kun, you are so cocky!"

Faust smiled, then sat down beside her. "So were you cured by his, uh, medicine?"

She was still blushing. "I-I feel much better."

"Good." He turned to me. "Now go buy your friend some pads."

"What?!" I looked at him as if he just suggested that I dye my beautiful hair in that murky blue violet color like Ren Tao's. "Pads? Like, sanitary napkins?"

"Yes, Horo Horo. N-A-P-K-I-N-S," the doctor spelled out for me.

"What will the pharmacist say when I go to her and buy pads?" I squeaked.

"Why, she'll ask what brand will you buy, of course," smirked the doctor.

"Iie! Horo-kun, I'll go buy." Tamao sat up. "Y-You don't have to embarrass yourself-"

"He's used to it, quite frankly. He always embarrasses himself anyway," laughed Faust VIII.

I rolled my eyes at the doctor. Geez, it was a bad idea to let him hang around Chocolove too much; his humor was getting sick. I waved my hand dismissively at the prophetess. "No need. I'll go get you your pads."

She looked reluctant. I grinned at her reassuringly. "Hey, I can't pass up the chance to meet girls. I mean, the pharmacist might be cute…"

"Pervert!" she cried.

Faust looked surprised. "Really? You don't know Horo Horo so well then."

I blinked; was Faust trying to redeem himself to me?

The doctor smirked. "He's actually a *total* pervert."

I groaned. Maybe I should have his just-acquired medical license be revoked.

A quarter of an hour later, I returned to her room, clutching a pack of n-a-p-k-i-n-s, as Faust puts it.

Tamao looked at me apologetically. "If your sister was here, or even Ms. Anna, I could have asked them to-"

I grinned. "Don't worry. The people don't care that I was buying napkins. Their attention was on the seven-year-old boy buying a strawberry-flavored condom."

Her eyes widened, and I nodded. "Really!"

She laughed softly. "Arigatou, Horo-kun, for going out of your way just to help me."

I turned solemn. One year had passed since I swore to protect her the way I care for the mimosa plant. Everyday, that resolve only gets stronger, even if it was evident that she's toughening little by little everyday too.

The moments of silence that followed started to make me feel awkward. I managed a feeble grin. "That is what the best of friends are for, right?"

"Right," she agreed, smiling.

I sighed, relieved that the awkwardness I was feeling awhile ago had gone away. I sat down beside her and messed her hair fondly. "So you're already a woman now, huh? You shouldn't cry too much anymore."

"Right," she said again.

"And you must try to contain your nervousness."

"Hai."

"And you must start acting like a lady already."

"Un."

"Start by baking me a chocolate cake."

She blinked. 

I grinned affably. "A lady must be learned in domestic arts, like cooking."

"I-I know…but bake for you?" It dawned on her. She threw her pillow at me again. "You're teasing me again!"

"Hey, I should at least be compensated for my trip to the drugstore!" I laughingly caught the pillow. "And oh yeah, a lady doesn't play rough games with boys anymore."

"Hmp! You started it!" She then winced. "Er…Horo-kun, I…I have to change."

"Oh." I stood up. "I'll wait for my cake in the kitchen then."

"I didn't tell you I'll bake you one!" she protested.

"You will, because if you won't, I won't leave your room." I grinned at her, then left her room.

I was seated in the kitchen when Lyserg Diethyl arrived. I blinked, then waved. "Hey Mr. Dowser!"

His emerald eyes lit up. "Horo Horo! What a relief. I thought I got the wrong address."

I motioned for him to sit. "Glad you found time to visit us. How are London and its girls?"

"Typical of you, Horo Horo," he said dryly, noting that I didn't even ask how his trip was. "The girls are fine and London is still London-"

"Tough," I said sympathetically. "No lovelife then?"

He blinked, perhaps wondering how the topic shifted to that forbidden matter. I grinned affably.

"I'm too busy studying," he admitted. "I want to form my own detective agency."

"Cool!" I said. "And I'll visit you! As long as your refrigerator is always fully-stocked…and I won't interfere in your lovelife."

He sighed exasperatedly. "Why does it always end up with my lovelife being discussed?" He slammed his hand on his forehead. "Oh yeah, you're Horo Horo after all. Ren told me that even before you learned how to walk, you already knew how to annoy people."

"I'm very good at it," I smirked. "As good as I am in breathing. But heck, why are you changing the topic?"

"Wait, do _you_ have a lovelife?" asked Lyserg, narrowing his green eyes at me.

"Yep," I said. "I'm in love with casseroles and roast beef and clubhouse sandwiches. I'm also in love with my snowboard, and if it was a girl, I would marry it at this instant."

Lyserg sighed. "Oh."

"And you?" I asked, smiling. There was already an idea forming within my mind. "I'm not counting on Morphine though, and only one significant female person figured in your life so-"

"She's just a child!" he said defensively.

"I wasn't naming names!" I was enjoying this thoroughly. Nothing much cuter than secret love.

"Well, you're obviously pertaining to her-" He stopped when he realized that he was just digging himself his own hole.

"Her? As in Jeanne-specific?" I said gleefully. Man, I could make a fortune out of being a terrorist in my friends' love stories…well, save for Ren Tao, whom I knew no girl in her right mind would crush on.

The telltale blush sprawled in his pale cheeks. "W-We have long parted ways…" Sadness shook in his eyes, and I quieted down. I had this feeling that there was more to this than the secret love thingie.

"Horo-kun, why are you so noisy-" Tamao stopped when she saw the guest. "A-Ah, Diethyl-san! W-What a pleasant surprise! I-I'll call Master Yoh and Anna-okami. They must be in the forest, training right now-"

"Training?" Lyserg was bemused. "But the shaman fight is no more."

I answered for Tamao. "The itako says Yoh couldn't rest on his laurels, although with the way Yoh is training constantly, his laurels could have long withered off already."

The dowser laughed. "Ah well, if they say change is the only constant thing in the world, they should meet Kyouyama Anna." He looked around the kitchen. "Your sister, Horo Horo?"

"Playing with Kororo, probably," I shrugged. "And I think Ryu is in Funbari. Ren is in China while Chocolove is in…who cares?"

Tamao giggled and slammed her hand on my back. "Really mean, Horo-kun." She then noticed Lyserg's puzzled gaze. She blushed, then mumbled something about looking for Yoh and Anna.

Lyserg smiled at me- a smile that seemed familiar to me. I then realized that I was wearing that smile awhile ago when I was teasing him about his lovelife, which meant…

Oh no, the great interrogation starts again.

"You and Tamao-san seem to be pretty comfortable with each other," he said casually.

"Of course. We're close friends," I said smoothly. I was used to these kinds of questions. People always asked me what was the real score between me and Tamao, as if our friendship was a basketball game.

"Friends?" He looked skeptical.

"Friends," I said, nodding. "If you guys just take some time out to talk to Tamao, you'll see that she's a very nice person."

"Very nice," nodded the dowser.

"Uh-huh." I nodded once more.

"She's pretty," he smiled.

"I know." I blinked when I realized that it was the wrong reply. "I mean, yeah, she is…but she's well, shy. Not a girlfriend material." I halted. OK, so what made me say that? Maybe I was a little alarmed- Lyserg sounded as if he was interested with Tamamura Tamao!

Lyserg smiled at me- the Eureka smile. "You look good together."

I cleared my throat nervously. "I told you, she's not a girlfriend material. Sure, she's pretty…but she's not my type."

He shrugged, and I sat back, relaxed. I convinced him good, didn't I?

**tsuzuku**


	3. Itsumo

Chapter 2: Itsumo 

I leaned on the kitchen wall, feeling a sweeping turmoil of emotions within me. Horo Horo's just said words rung in my mind.

"I told you, she's not a girlfriend material. Sure, she's pretty…but she's not my type."

My grip on the tray tightened. I didn't know why I was feeling this hurt when I heard this from him when I have absolutely no reason to feel so.

The last part of the statement was honestly the one that hurt me most. Was he trying to imply that I was not as lovable as Anna-okami for instance?

And why wasn't I considered as a girlfriend material? Was I lacking something?

I licked my lips, then pasted the usual smile on my face as I proceeded into the kitchen. "I didn't find Master Yoh and Anna-okami."

Lyserg grinned. "No problem. Maybe I'll rest first or something. The trip was a little exhausting."

I nodded. "Where is your baggage? Maybe I can help you with it."

The dowser shook his head. "No need." He got up, and that is when I remembered that we had not provided him with food yet. Flustered, I went to the dish rack. "M-Matte, Lyserg Diethyl-san. P-Please eat first!"

He chuckled. "No, I'm quite full, thanks."

Horo Horo raised his hand. "But you can get started on my pie anytime, Tamao."

I placed my hands on my hips. "Really now, Horo Horo, that is so mean of you. We have to entertain our guest first!"

"But I'm hungry!" he whined.

Lyserg chuckled once more. "You two…you act like a married couple, the way you bicker and talk to each other."

I felt my face flood with colors. But before I could reply, Horo commented.

"Things are not always what they seem to be."

I clamped my mouth shut, for some reason hurt by what he said.

Lyserg looked at me, then smiled. "I agree, Horo Horo." He gave us a small bow and picked his things up.

That snapped me out of my trance. I hurried to him. "Diethyl-san, I'll show you to your room."

He nodded gratefully then waved at the Ainu. 

"How long have you and Horo Horo been this close?" asked Lyserg as we walked down the halls leading to the bedrooms.

I looked at him, puzzled. Was he doing what I think he was doing?

The dowser noticed the puzzled expression on my face. "No, no, please do not think otherwise. I am just curious, so please forgive my queer interrogative ways."

I looked down. "A year and two months, I think." I sighed in relief when we had reached the guest rooms.

"Gomen if I make you uncomfortable," he said ruefully. "I just saw that you didn't like what Horo Horo commented, and I couldn't help but feel that somehow…well, your friendship may not be as platonic as you think."

I felt colors flood my face. "W-What do you mean?" He couldn't dare suggest that Horo-kun…and I…

"You know the answer to that." He watched me pause from unlocking the door of one room. "I just wanted to tell you that…" Something flickered in his eyes. A look saying that he was journeying mentally to a time long, long ago. "…never mind."

"Diethyl-san?"

He laughed wryly. "Don't mind me. I'm just tired." He looked at the forgotten key in my hand, and I nearly slapped myself silly. I quickly resumed to my interrupted work.

"You and Horo Horo look great together…as a pair," he remarked softly.

I gulped, then used the universal excuse Horo-kun uses when confronted like this. "W-We're not a pair of scissors…"

"Even Chocolove won't come up with something like that."

I blushed. "Horo-kun's line."

When I arrived in the kitchen, Horo Horo was scowling. I sighed- maturity was never one of the finest points of my friend.

"Hey, what took you so long?" He cupped his face as he looked at me.

"I couldn't find the right room key," I explained.

He didn't look convinced. "Did Lyserg tell you anything weird?"

"Like?" I asked as I took out my baking utensils. "What flavor of pie do you want?"

But he didn't seem interested with the pie anymore all of a sudden, which was quite a shocker. Horo Horo had never considered any topic to be above food, except when it concerns his sister. He walked towards me, eyes narrowed. "You know…like…your love life."

"What is there to tell about? It's non-existent," I replied patiently.

He rubbed his cheek. "Um…" He was probably thinking of the best way to open up the topic that was both glaring in our minds.

But apparently, I was wrong. He asked again. "Does he intend to court you?"

I blinked. Now that was pretty direct. I waved my hand dismissively. "No. He has the eyes of a man madly in love with someone else."

He looked relieved. He muttered something inaudible. 

"Pardon?" I asked as I took out the flour.

"Did he make other weird comments?"

"You're too edgy today, Horo-kun. If you want to know what we talked about, ask him," I said, rolling my eyes.

"OK, one last question. Did he comment something about the two of us?"

I decided to be truthful. "Hai…the usual."

He nodded. The "usual" meant the questions on our friendship's intimacy.

We both fell silent- we agreed to be honest to each other, and that includes the discussion of our friendship to other people. It still felt awkward though.

He sat on the kitchen counter, watching me intently. He wasn't speaking, making me more uncomfortable.

"I love you," he said, eyes crinkling into a smile. "You're a superb cook, you're the best mother I never had, and you don't beat me up the way my sister does."

My heart skipped a beat as colors rushed back to my face. "And I love you too, Horo-kun. You are the extension of my strength, my protector, my hero. Yet at the same time, you can bring out the mother hen instinct within me so easily."

 "I love you even if you make me wash the dishes every night."

"And I love you even if you always raid the refrigerator clean."

We smiled at each other, then burst into laughter. I was glad that the tension between us dissipated.

Honesty, trust, and lots of love.

I will never ever give my best friend up for anything in the world, not without a fight.

~*~

I woke up in the middle of the night. I stood up and slipped into my robe, then went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

I blinked when I found Horo Horo by the refrigerator, bending down to get something.

"Horo-kun?" I asked.

He jumped. "Argh! I didn't steal the sandwiches!" He paused, then turned to face me. "Tamao!" He looked like a cross between an irritated man and a relieved boy.

"So that's why those tuna sandwiches I made for Anna-okami disappeared," I said dryly.

"Well, I was hungry…"

"Hai."

He grinned. "Don't tell Anna I ate her precious sandwiches, ok?"

I smiled sweetly. "Suuuure. But…"

He snorted. "I hate that word."

"But…" I continued. "…you must sweep the whole house tomorrow until next week."

He paused. "Um…I can do it tomorrow and for the next three days but…"

I blinked when I saw him turn serious. "Why? Are you sick, Horo-kun?"

He shrugged. "I'll be leaving for China on Thursday."

"E-Eh?!"

He sighed. "Ren Tao invited me to spar and train with him."

"But why so sudden?"

"He said he was intending to invite Yoh, but Anna said no, so he gave me the last-minute offer," grumbled Horo. "Me, a second choice. Hah!"

"And you accepted it?"

"I'll show him that I'm not just a second choice when it comes to shaman fights!"

I sighed. Aside from being cocky and glutton, Horo Horo was also ultra-competitive.

"How long will you be away?" I asked quietly.

"A year…I don't know." He looked at me. "One thing's for sure, it would be no vacation."

I bit my lip. I was so used to seeing him everyday in the Asakura house. Now all of a sudden, he would be leaving, and he would be gone for a year.

It sounded all so simple, really. But why was it filling me with dread?

Maybe my powers were just making me paranoid. I shook my head. Horo Horo wouldn't go to Timbuktu; he would just go to China, Japan's neighbor.

Dakedo…

"Tamao?" He drew closer towards me. "Hey, d-don't tell me you're…no, don't," he begged helplessly. "Y-You're crying…"

I realized he was right when a tear dropped down my cheek.

"D-Did I say something stupid? Damn!" he said when he saw another tear fall. And another. He placed his hands on my shoulders. "T-Tamao, whatever I said to hurt you, I'm sorry. Sometimes, I don't think before I open my mouth. Tamao, don't…don't cry. I-I'll cry too, and we'll make noise. Then we'll wake Anna and the others up, and they'll cry along with us, and our neighbors would hear us and would cry along too. We'll make an awful noise, and the town mayor will decide to shoot us down for disturbing the peace and order he's protecting-"

I couldn't help but smile through my tears. "D-Don't worry. It's just that…I'll miss you terribly." It was the closest thing to the truth.

His face softened. "And I'll miss you too, Flower. No cook in the world can make apple pies the way you do…"

I smiled, touched.

"You stuff the crust with strawberries."

I hit his back, and he caught my hand laughingly.

"And these soft, delicate hands fill my favorite apple pies with so much love," he said huskily.

And that made both of us stop. It was as if it was enough to start the tension again between us- one that we thought we had settled already almost year ago.

A year? Could it be? We had been friends for almost two years already?

I gasped when I felt him pull me close to him. He hugged me tightly, his hand brushing my hair gently.

"Please tell me again why you love your best friend so," he whispered.

"B-Because…he is my strength…he is my protector and my hero, and my most favorite person in the world…" My chest constricted. "I love you, Horo-kun."

A year ago, I was unsure. I professed my love for him as his friend. Now I was surer than ever that I was professing this as a woman very much in love with him.

"Don't forget that," he said gruffly. "I don't want you hanging out with other guys…I'll make Pirika check on you regularly."

"H-Hai."

He grinned, then wiped my tears with his fingers. "Now stop crying. You're eyes are getting swollen…you might get mistaken for a cotton candy-haired monster."

"Please come back," I whispered.

"I will," he promised solemnly.

That Thursday was the saddest day of my life. He didn't bid me goodbye, and Pirika told me that he doesn't want to change his mind when he sees two women crying.

I brought out my board and the silver coin. I was intending to make a reading on Anna-okami.

Just then, Horo Horo flashed into my mind.

I frowned, then placed the coin on the board. It moved quickly, wildly spelling out something.

My eyes went wide with shock when I realized what the board said.

Tragedy. And a sleep from which he could never open his eyes again.

"No…no…" I whispered, refusing to believe my powers that never fail me.

A week later, Jun Tao came to Izumo and brought us the news.

Horo Horo met a grave accident while he was sparring with her brother.

And he was in comatose.

**tsuzuku**


	4. 4

I stared at the shell of what used to be a lively young man in front of me. I shook my head in disbelief. This couldn't be Horo Horo…this couldn't be my best friend. My eyes ran on his pale, thin cheeks. Everything in him looked unreal.

"Tamao' nee-san?" whispered Pirika, looking at me through her swollen eyes. Ren had fetched her earlier and brought her here to live in the mansion temporarily.

I walked slowly towards Horo's comatose body and reached for his hand. It was cold, just like the rest of him.

And for the first time since Jun broke the news to me, it occurred to me.

What would happen if Horo Horo wouldn't wake up anymore?

My heart twisted painfully. My grip on his hand tightened, and I leaned down towards his ear. I whispered, "I will never ever give you up for anything in the world, not without a fight. I love you, Horo Horo-kun."

When I looked at his face that didn't even react, I wondered how long could I maintain my resolve. Whenever I look at his seemingly dead appearance, my vow crumbles little by little.

But I love Horo Horo. And that alone would fuel my desire to help him fight to live.

"Tamao?"

I snapped from my trance and saw Yoh smiling at me, but his eyes were clearly worried.

"M-Master Yoh, d-do you need anything?" I asked, and realized that I had stared off to space while I was sewing Horo Horo's jacket.

"Maybe you should stay in China so you will be able to watch over Horo Horo without getting so tired from the continuous chartering," he suggested.

I had to admit that I wanted to do that, but something was holding me back, for some reason. "The house needs me," I said instead. I knew that with all the excitement in the coming marriage of Master Yoh and Anna-okami, the chores like cooking dinner might be forgotten. I placed the jacket aside and turned to him. "Can I do anything for you, Master?"

"Well…actually…" He sat down in front of me, legs crossed. His eyes were gravely serious. "I need you to do some readings for me."

"What book, Master Yoh?"

He blinked, then laughed. "No, I mean, predict my fate."

"Ah." I stood up to gather my tools for prediction.

Yoh, meanwhile, stared at the sewing work on the floor. "Horo's jacket?"

I smiled. "Hai. I want it to be ready to wear once he wakes up."

Once he wakes up. I sounded so confident about it that even Master Yoh had to smile.  I guess my fighting spirit was stronger than a mimosa after all.

It had been almost three months since the accident, and he still had shown no signs of progress, yet I refused to lose heart. Even if Dr. Faust said that the shortest time of waiting period for Horo-kun to wake up is forever.

What is forever anyway, compared to the magnanimity of Horo-kun, when he listened to a mimosa's cries for attention and protection that were too soft to hear for ordinary folks?  

Every other day, I go to China courtesy of the Tao's private jet just to check on him. I would spend the night gazing at him, remembering the times when he wasn't in this bed. When he was in Izumo, full of life, bursting with so much energy…

I would try to talk him too- Dr. Faust said that it would be good for a comatose victim to be visited often and to be talked to.

"Tamao?" called Yoh, peering at me concernedly.

 I blinked, then sighed. I was drifting off to my thoughts again. I set down the board and the coin and began my predictions.

It was near midnight when I arrived in the Tao mansion again. My heart was heavy after what I predicted to Master Yoh. I didn't mean to be so honest, but I too was shocked by what the board said. That Master Yoh was going to leave for somewhere he could never return. What was astounding was that Master didn't even looked shocked or depressed, as if he was expecting it. When I asked him why, he simply said that he feels "someone calling his soul back home". That he was more worried about Anna. He then got up and said he was going to see someone in the forest.

I went straight to Horo Horo's room. As usual, he was lying on his bed, unmoving from the last time I checked on him.

"Good evening, Horo Horo," I said, forcing a smile on my face. "You're looking much better than yesterday. Ne, but you're always handsome, right?" I ran my hand on his face, smiling tearfully. "I wish you would wake up already. You're the only one I know that can give me the best words to cheer myself up. You always find the nicest things about a problem."

"You see, I predicted something horrible…and I'm so scared because I feel that it is going to come true." I felt my voice waver, and I knew I was going to start crying again.

Just then, Pirika arrived in the room, rubbing her eyes. I wiped my tears away quickly. "P-Pirika?"

"Tamao' nee-san?" She sat down beside me, gazing at me curiously.

"W-What are you doing, still up at this time?" I asked, pretending to be casual.

"My onii-chan woke me up," she explained, looking at the sleeping Horo Horo. "He told me to come here because the mimosa plant needs to be protected." She smiled. "He sounded so alive in my dream. He was so worried about the mimosa…so…"

"Horo Horo…" I gazed at him through my blurred vision. I knew it. In my heart, I knew Horo Horo was alive. He just needed a little more time, that's all.

"A-Are you crying, Tamao' nee-san?" asked Pirika suddenly.

I bit my lip, then in broken speech, told her about my predictions regarding Asakura Yoh.

In the end, she rushed towards me and hugged me comfortingly.

"I'm glad Onii-chan woke me up. He must have sensed how sad you felt, so he used me to cheer you up," she said. "Please don't worry, Tamao' nee-san. Whatever happens, there is a reason behind it. A-And you do not create fate, you tell it as you foresee it. None of the events is your fault."

"T-Thank you, Pirika," I said softly. I smiled at the sleeping Ainu. I know that in due time, he would wake up. I know it; my heart says so.

I won't lose hope. I won't give up my best friend for anything in the world, never ever, not without a fight.

But the inevitable happened. One afternoon, Master Yoh and Anna-okami left to have a private time for themselves, but it ended up with a grave accident that cost the shaman his life.

The days that followed were like a slow motion of mourning. Ms. Anna refused to leave the confines of her bedroom, and the entire Asakura family was helpless as they watched her strength dwindle little by little each day.

I could only cry in pain too; had I gave the family sufficient warnings about what I predicted to Master Yoh, they could have prepared for it. Or Master Yoh was still alive today.

But I cried in silence; I understood that they do not need another burden in the family, so I forced myself to run the household as if nothing significant happened, and that my duties were just increased a little, when I serve the funeral guests some drinks, for instance.

I finished sealing the letter Master Mikihisa wrote. He wanted it to be sent to Ren Tao immediately. 

I was just about to go to the telegram office when someone stopped me. My heart jumped. It was Asakura Hao, Master Yoh's brother.

Horo Horo told me about the evilness of this person, so I couldn't help but feel frightened. I clutched the letter to my chest.

But Hao neither approached me nor lifted a finger on me. He just stood there, smiling reassuringly.

"Forever is only a moment to patient hearts. Just wait patiently, the Ainu is coming home," he said before walking away.

I was puzzled. What made him say that? And how did he know about Horo Horo's condition?

But I kept in mind what he said. What is forever? It was only a measuring unit of time, one undefined, but measurable still. And it was enough to give me hope.

Horo Horo will come home soon, he promised.

**tsuzuku**


	5. Dreams

I clutched Brownie and Shirayuki-hime as Asakura Hao gave me some last minute instructions. He and Ms. Anna were going downtown to run an errand for Master Mikihisa.

"Feed them on time and don't lose them from your sight, do you understand?" he asked authoritatively. I quickly nodded, and he flashed me a sexy grin. "Thanks Cherry."

Cherry. Almost like how Horo-kun calls me. Flower. I blushed, but when felt Anna-okami's glare, my gaze dropped down on the meowing kittens.

It had been some months after the death of Master Yoh, and just when I and the entire Asakura clan had given up hope on Anna, Hao Asakura came along, bringing along a weapon of a death promise to his brother. Amazingly, he was the lone person responsible in helping the itako to eventually recover from her mourning. We were eternally indebted to him, though Master Yohmei and Mistress Kino were sure verbally undemonstrative about it.

Tomorrow, I was scheduled to visit Horo Horo again. I decided to prepare my clothes while the kittens were still eating.

I quietly reflected on the situation. Ms. Anna was lucky that in her moments of grief, she had someone like Asakura Hao. As for me…

I knew I promised myself that I would never give up my best friend, but the past months had battered me enough already. Also, until now, Dr. Faust had yet to give a more positive and hopeful diagnosis about Horo-kun's comatose. The stress was slowly draining life out of me.

But I had gone this far, and it was futile to retreat.

I would just have to continue my agonizing wait, and continue praying for a miracle. It was all I could do.

I could feel my eyes getting sleepy. Really now…I need more rest. I just got back from China yesterday and I wasn't able to rest long for I went back on checking whether the household chores were done by Ponchi and Konchi.

Hmm…a minute of rest wouldn't hurt… I just needed to…close my eyes…for a minute…just a minute…

"Tamao!"

I perked up. I looked up and saw Horo Horo smiling down at me. The familiar boyish grin warmed my heart so much that I could feel tears forming in my eyes.

"H-Horo…Horo?" I didn't bother to wipe my tears anymore. "Y-You're…"

"Ssh…" he murmured, wiping my tears away with his thumb. "Flower, I'm going home, on an Ainu warrior's honor. On my honor. I promised you that, didn't I?"

"Going…back?" I looked around, and my shaman instincts told me that this was a dream.

"Right," he nodded. "So wait for me. I will do as I promised so don't break your own promise." He grinned. "Never give me up, ok?"

"H-Hai!" I nodded.

"By the way, I suggest that you stay around the Izumo house for awhile. A love story might interest you there," he said.

"E-Eh?" I blinked when he suddenly began to vanish. "H-Horo-kun, wait! I want to tell you something!"

"Me too," he smiled. "But there is a proper time for that. Let me come back first, ok?"

"H-Hai."

"And no man will give you a nickname aside from me!" And with that, he disappeared.

I blinked. Even if he was in comatose, he knew what was happening to me, even something that happened just minutes ago?

I realized what Horo Horo was referring to as the 'love story'. Some days later, Anna-okami returned home wet and shivering, shrouded by Master Asakura's mantle. We both then overheard Hao telling Master Mikihisa and the others that he was going to marry Ms. Anna.

My gaze immediately went to the itako. I thought I spotted confusion on her face, but it was quickly chased away by the raw anger on her face.

She burst into the living room angrily. "Never! I will never marry you!"

Silence.

"No one understands…I am contented to live with Yoh's memories. Remembering him makes me happy, and I don't need another person to fill in his shoes. I'm happy!" she continued furiously.

"How can you be happy when you let his memories haunt you like a ghost?" Hao-sama asked calmly.

I watched the exchange of words between them, eyes wide. Something was dawning in me…with the way Hao Asakura talks, and the way Anna-okami reacts…something that they both missed to see when it was actually just right under their noses!

I smiled to myself. They love each other!

 My thoughts were broke when Anna-okami suddenly fled from the room. I was worried, so I followed her. "M-Miss Anna, wait!"

"Let her be, Tamao," said Kino, looking at the fleeing figure. "She needs time to think it over."

Hao clenched his fists, then went out of the house quietly.

Before I could think, my feet moved already. I ran after him. "M-Master Asakura Hao, wait! Don't go!" I caught up with him. "D-Don't give up! You…you love her, don't you?"

He smiled at me slowly. "I do, very much. And I'm not giving up."

"E-Eh? But why are you leaving the house already?" I asked, forgetting who was I talking to.

He chuckled. "I'm just finding another way into her room. I know that she won't leave her bedroom door unlocked, you know."

"Oh."

He grinned, then looked up at the window. I reckon that he found his way already.

I clasped my hands and wished him luck. It was high time for Anna-okami to set herself free and be happy again. She had mourned long enough, and someone like her deserves the best kind of love in the world- an unconditional love I could sense Hao Asakura has a fount all for her.

And by the day that I returned to China, I was feeling very, very happy already. Ms. Anna has already agreed to marry Master Hao and I know that everything will now be alright.

When I returned to Horo Horo's side, I didn't feel the usual frustration I have when I see his comatose body. I could still remember my dream vividly.

I clasped his hands with mine. "Ne, Horo-kun? You'll be home soon."

**Tsuzuku**

**(the story has been more narrative, but from next chapter, we'll be back to usual Horo/Tamao. SPOILER!!! ^__^)**


	6. Coming Back

"Tamao' nee-san!!!" cried Pirika, startling me. I was just in the kitchen, getting something to eat for me. All of a sudden, she was rushing towards me, crying.

"Come with me!" She pulled me all of a sudden, almost making me stumble.

"W-What's with all the hurrying-" I froze when she led me to Horo Horo's room. Oh god, what happened to Horo Horo? No, he couldn't die! He promised to come back! But when I pushed open the door of the bedroom, I nearly had a heart attack.

Lying on the bed was Horo Horo, looking around the room lazily.

I ran towards him, sobbing. "Horo Horo! You came back!"

He looked at me intently, then spoke. "You…you called me Horo Horo…who are you? Do you know who I am?"

I laughed. "Oh, don't pull tricks! You can't _not_ know who I am! I'm Tamao, your friend! I know who you are! You're my long-lost best friend, Horo Horo."

I froze when I saw genuine confusion in his eyes. "H-Horo?" I asked quietly.

"I…I don't remember…"

Faust looked at Pirika and me, then at Horo Horo, who was staring out at the window. "Temporary amnesia…it could have been because of the head injury he incurred months ago, or it could have been because of the comatose, but I assure you. It's nothing serious. Eventually, his memory would come back."

"How long do we have to wait for that eventually?" asked Pirika fearfully.

"We can't say for sure. It can come back on the day after tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or maybe even next year." Faust smiled at the male Ainu. "Horo Horo, get your rest, then you can start eating." He turned to me. "Tamao, start with soft food first, alright?"

I nodded, and Pirika volunteered to walk the doctor out. When the door shut, I walked towards Horo Horo.

"I knew you would come back," I began.

"Lucky you. You knew, and I didn't," he said sourly. "Will you tell me something about myself? Am I a bad person?"

I shook my head vehemently. "No, you are the kindest person in the world. I…we love you, Horo Horo."

He turned to me, face lacking the warm smile he reserved only for me. His eyes were vacant, as if I was just looking at a hollow, gaping hole. "Who are you in my life?"

I bit my lip. I myself didn't know how I stand in his life. I came up with the safest answer. "I am one of your closest friends."

"Do I treat you right?"

I smiled. "Of course. You treat me like no one else has ever done. You care for me and protect me."

"I see," he nodded, and within, I winced. Even our friendship, he could remember no more.

"And the girl with long blue hair?"

"She is your little sister. Her name is Pirika," I replied dutifully.

He nodded slowly. "Yes, she feels very familiar."

"That's good," I said, smiling. At least, there was still hope. And I was willing to cling on every little shred of hope there was for Horo Horo to come back to his old self.

I clasped his hands. "Listen. Horo-kun. You will remember things all in good time. No need to hurry."

He shook his head. "You don't understand. I feel so lost in my own mind and body…it's hell."

I could feel the excruciating pain in his voice, and I had to bite back my tears. Crying won't help my best friend in his situation. I had to be strong. "You won't get lost…not when I'm here." I smiled at him confidently. "Trust me, Horo-kun. I'll take care of you."

All my life, it had been you taking care of me. This is the best time for me to show my gratitude for what you've done to me all throughout the years.

The next morning, I hurriedly fixed myself. I had fallen asleep staying guard in Horo's room. I had sung him a lullaby just for him to fall asleep, and I myself had fallen asleep an hour or so before dawn broke.

I prayed that Pailong was still there- I must return to Japan to help out in the preparation of Ms. Anna's wedding.

"Where are you going?"

I jumped, startled. I turned around and saw Horo Horo, fully awake and staring at me.

I smiled. "Ohayou, Horo-kun!"

"You're leaving." There was an accusing tone in his voice.

"Of course not," I said. "I'm just going out to…shop downtown."

"I'm coming with you," he said quickly.

"You can't go out yet!" I protested. "Dr. Faust said you need rest."

"How long will you be gone?" he demanded.

"Not for so long," I said reassuringly.

"Sure?"

I nodded.

He nodded reluctantly. "Come back quickly."

I nodded and smiled. I left the room to inform Pirika that I was leaving for Japan when I met Ren Tao in the hallway. "Master Ren Tao, did you see Pirika?"

He rolled his eyes. "Do I look like a lost and found section?"

"G-Gomen. I was just thinking that maybe you saw her…"

"I didn't," he said curtly.

"Ah, thank you anyway." I bowed and hurried away. Sometimes, I really think that Ren Tao's fury with Pirika was too unreal. In the first place, it was baseless. But then, who was I to question him anyway?

Soon, after I had found Pirika, I gave her all my instructions with Horo-kun's feeding schedule and what he should be given for meals. After another reassurance that I would be back soon, the private Tao jet finally took off. I shut my eyes wearily and rested my head on the headrest, just plain exhausted from all the events that took place in the Tao mansion in less than twenty four hours. I guess this was just one of the simple and subtle manifestations of Kami-sama's miracles. The fact alone that Horo Horo still managed to wake up from months of comatose was no joke.

I then drifted into sleep.

After some hours of rest, I quickly resumed with my duties in the Asakura household. I watched as Anna-okami yelled at Master Hao Asakura to hurry up with carrying the box of new curtains to put up. He came in, struggling with an extremely large box. He must have noticed me gaping at him, along with the other members of the Asakura family. He gave us a what-can-I-do-it's-Anna grin.

I giggled. Anna-okami would always be Anna-okami, and wherever Master Yoh was right now, I'm sure he was quite happy with how the events were taking place now.

Anna then turned to me, and her face relaxed into a smile. "I heard Horo Horo woke up already."

I nodded happily.

"You can tell him that…the Asakura House is always open to receive him and his sister warmly," she said, glancing at Kino-sensei and Yohmei-sama, who were nodding.

I smiled, although I felt something pinch within me. I still had a long way to go before I could get Horo-kun out of the house. Anna-okami and the others still didn't know that he lost his memory.

Speaking of which, I had to return to the Tao mansion tonight. I promised him that I wouldn't be gone for too long.

I went back to my work so I could finish early.

I arrived in the Tao mansion, exhausted. Pirika was the first one to meet me in the hallway. "Tamao' nee-san, onii-chan has been very cranky since you left. I don't think it's a good idea for you to leave anymore. He said that you promised him you won't be gone for too long."

"I-It's Ms. Anna's wedding in days," I said.

"How can we tell him that? He doesn't remember the people in Japan anymore," she replied, near to tears.

I went into Horo Horo's room and found him moodily looking out at the window.

"Horo-kun?" I said.

He didn't reply. Obviously, he was mad at me. 

I turned to his sister. "Boil water for me. I'm going to prepare food for him."

"Un!" She went out of the room hurriedly.

I closed the door behind me and sat down beside him. "I'm back, Horo-kun."

He still didn't reply.

"I-It's Tamao," I said.

"I know, and you are a liar too," he said angrily.

"I came back, didn't I?" I asked wearily.

"You said you won't be gone for too long," he continued. "I can't talk to…to Pirika without her bursting into tears. I do not know anyone else. I wanted to ask so many things…"

I nodded. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, Horo-kun. But I'm all yours tonight, I promise. I won't leave your side."

"I don't believe you."

That was perhaps the most hurtful thing anyone has ever told me. Quietly, I got up, reminding myself that he was sick and upset, and if he wasn't, that was the last thing he would ever tell anyone, especially me.

"You're leaving again," he said.

"I'm going to cook your food."

"And you will return when it's morning already."

I shook my head. "I-I'll be right back." I headed for the kitchen, wiping a lone tear that streaked down my cheek.

 I came back, carrying a bowl of porridge, Pirika behind me, carrying a pitcher of juice. "Horo-kun, let's eat!" I said cheerfully.

"I'm not hungry," he said curtly.

"Nonsense!" I said, sitting down beside him. "After all the hard work I've been through…" I spooned some porridge into his mouth. "Here, eat up."

He averted the spoon. "I'm not hungry."

Pirika looked upset. "Onii-chan, you need to recover your strength. S-So we can start walking around the compound and…and…"

Try to recover your memories, I finished quietly in my mind. I maintained the smile on my face. "But if you don't eat, how can you get out of bed?"

His eyes hardened. "I said, I don't want to eat!!!" He slapped the bowl away from my hands. Pirika gasped behind me.

I inhaled shakily, then smiled once more. "I'll cook another bowl, and this time, I'll make sure that it will be more delicious than this one. You won't be able to resist it at all," I said confidently.

"I will not eat! I just want to remember!" he yelled, desperation evident in his voice.

I got up and saw Pirika on the brink of crying. I smiled at her and gestured for her to leave. She smiled at me gratefully and left.

I shut the door and knelt down the floor. Using my apron, I wiped the floor and picked the broken pieces of the bowl at the same time. I could feel Horo Horo's eyes trained on me. I finished the chore finally. I put the glass in a plastic and placed it by the trashcan, then took off my apron.

"I know you would like to remember already, and it's frustrating," I said. "But that is no excuse to act like a toddler. Your sister is very worried about you."

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"No, don't apologize to me. Your sister would appreciate that more," I said.

"You don't…appreciate me?" he asked.

I paused.

"Is it because of that small guy with long, pointed hair pointing upwards?" he wanted to know. "I saw you and him talking."

I blinked. Was it jealousy I detected in his voice? I laughed at myself. Perhaps, it was just insecurity, because he thought that the people around him were starting to neglect him.

"No, it's not because of him, Horo Horo-kun," I said patiently. "I appreciate you very much, Horo-kun. You're my most favorite person in the world, and in all those months that you were almost dead, I never gave you up, the way you didn't give up on me that the mimosa you care for will grow up to be strong for herself."

"I did that?" For the first time, his face was filled with emotion that wasn't anger. He was looking at her, astounded.

I nodded. "You were a very wonderful person. To me, and to Yoh-sama and the others."

"Yoh-sama?"

I smiled. "Next time, I'll bring a picture, and I'll show you your friends."

He smiled slowly. "I would like that very much." He then frowned. "What took you so long if you just shopped?"

"I was in Izumo. One of your friend's fiancée is getting married," I admitted.

"Ah. Maybe I should go there too," he said.

I smiled. "Sure, but you have to eat first and gather your strength. We're going to ride a jet, and you need to keep up your strength."

"Hai, I promise," he said, holding his hand up. "Tamao, are you married?"

I choked. "O-Of course not."

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"He's not yet ready," I just decided to reply.

"When he's ready, I want to meet him, ok?" he said.

"O-Of course," I said, smiling weakly. "I'll be back. I'll just get you your meal."

"Hai!" he replied energetically.

**tsuzuku**


	7. The Waltz

"You're leaving again?" asked Horo Horo, looking at me with what seemed like a trying-hard-not-to-cry expression. I felt something pinch within me. Last night was spent on chatting with him about what Horo Horo was. He had a lot of questions about his identity, and I could remember how amazed he was when he learned that he was a shaman.

As for me, it was like discovering once again what my best friend and most favorite person was like; when I enumerated the things that I want and like about him, the things about him that can exasperate me, and the stuff that he enjoys like food and merriment, I felt as if I was getting to know him once again. It would also delight me whenever he says that something was quite familiar about the things I say, like the snowboarding skills he has.

I smiled gently. "I'll come back the day after tomorrow."

"D-Don't leave," he said somewhat beggingly.

I fought the urge to do as he says. I was still needed in Izumo. "I won't leave permanently. I'll be back. I'm sure Pirika would love to walk you around the Tao compound."

"Yes, but I want you to walk with me too," he pouted.

I had to laugh. Some months ago, Horo Horo would never dare speak out loud how much he needs me. I guess this was one of the few things I thank for after the accident- that I felt that he needed me after all. I thought I was the only one dependent on this friendship.

"Tell you what, you can walk me to the plane," I said.

He sighed, the nodded reluctantly. "Alright. I'll walk you there. I don't want you to walk with that boy with pointed  hair-"

"Ren Tao-san?" I laughed. "He's a nice person."

"I have this feeling that I didn't like him. Especially since I notice that there's something about him and my sister…"

"You're being paranoid," I said in an effort to pacify him, but deep inside, I couldn't help but feel that there was something weird between his sister and the Tao. The chemistry maybe.

"So this is where we separate ways," I said, gesturing towards the Tao jet plane. I tried to ignore the lonely look Horo-kun was giving me.

When suddenly, Pirika spoke up. "No…we're coming with you."

I was surprised. "Eh? Aren't you…"

Pirika tried to smile at me, but somehow, that smile didn't reach her eyes. "Now that Onii-chan is fine, the Tao clan has no obligations to us anymore."

Something formed in my mind. "Does Ren…does Ren know this?" I asked quietly.

"He doesn't need to know anyway." Her voice was tight, and I knew at once that she and Ren Tao were involved with each other in some way that involves the heart. I suddenly felt uneasy about meddling in their affairs. "I don't know…"

"Please don't tell anyone about this. Ren will know we're gone soon, but by then, Onii-chan and I are in the forest already…maybe we're in Hokkaido, I don't know." She clasped her hands. "Please, nee-san?"

 I can sense the despair in her voice, as if my agreement to conspire with her was a matter of life and death. But sensibly speaking, I know that she still needs to see Ren-san. "Why don't you just say goodbye to him?" I asked in one last effort to open the communication line between the two.

 She shook her head firmly. "It doesn't matter. But believe me, it's all for the best. I've convinced Pailong already. I just need your cooperation on this one."

I sighed defeatedly, then nodded. I felt bad about being her accomplice for her escape here, but I could feel her urgency. If I don't let her do what she intends to do, I'm afraid of what might happen to her.

She smiled, the first real smile I saw from her ever since she told me that her brother woke up from his comatose. She gave the Tao mansion one last glance before she pulled her brother along. "Let's go, onii-chan?"

He looked at her intently. "Why is it that you look like you have left something there but you don't want to retrieve it?"

When Pirika smiled sadly, I started to walk ahead to give them the time for a heart-to-heart sibling talk. I would just have to wait until one of them tells me about the outcome of the talk. But when I saw them enter the plane hand-in-hand, I knew that everything will be alright for Pirika, someone I've started to think of as a real younger sister already.

I was washing the dishes when Anna, wearing a lovely ivory bridal gown stopped in the kitchen, looking at me, puzzled.

"Why aren't you dressed yet? Won't you attend my wedding?" she asked at last.

I shook my head. "Gomen, but I have to stay here to prepare the reception area for the guests. My best wishes, Anna-okami."

She smiled, one of the rare times I ever saw her did ever since Yoh-sama died. "Thank you, Tamao, but I'll be happier if you make it to the wedding."

"I will do my best to make it there," I promised, although it would be unlikely considering how much work is still left to be done.

Anna-okami nodded. "I'll wait for you. I'll throw the bouquet to you. I'm sure Yoh would both want us to be happy."

I smiled tearfully. "Hai. Arigatou, Anna-okami."

Just minutes after she left, Horo came into the kitchen, assisted by his sister.

"Good news, onee-san," said Pirika, face lit up. "Onii-chan seems to remember some of the places here, and he actually remembers how much he fears Anna-okami!"

"That's good." I beamed at Horo Horo, whose eyes were around the room. Silently, he moved to the connecting room to the right. "This place is very familiar…it's very close to my heart…"he whispered.

I laughed. "Of course you would remember this place. It's the kitchen. And you're heading for the…"

Horo Horo smiled. "Refrigerator."

Pirika and I laughed. His memory is coming around.

She then turned to me as her brother scanned the contents of the fridge. "By the way, onee-chan, I heard Anna-okami say that it is imperative that you attend her wedding. Why aren't you dressed yet?"

I gestured to the sink, where plates are still to be washed, and to the buffet table that still needed to be completed.

Pirika's forehead creased. "That's all? But that's no valid reason to defy Anna-okami's wishes. Tell you what, Tamao' nee-san. Onii-chan and I would take care of the things still needed, and you go get dressed."

"B-But…"Before I could protest, Pirika pushed me out of the kitchen. "Go get dressed! Onii-chan and I will be fine here. We can't make an appearance yet on the wedding; I don't want Onii-chan to be pressured to remember all the people who knows him in the wedding."

"P-Pirika…"

"Go!"

I finished dressing up at last. Although what I was wearing – a long white silk sleeveless dress with a slit on the side and white pumps- was not exactly what I would want to wear, it was the only dress I could find in the last minute. I rushed to the garden, where the ceremony would be held. I knew that I was already half an hour late.

Because I was hurrying, I didn't notice that I bumped on someone already.

"Oof!"

"G-Gomen nasai!" I cried panickedly. "Sir, are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, please don't worry…" He got up and smiled at me. His eyes then sparked in recognition. "Tamamura-san?"

My eyes widened. "Lyserg Diethyl-san! Wow!"

He looked at me appreciatively. "Hmm, you're blooming, eh?"

I blushed. "A-Ah…t-that's an overstatement."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry for shocking you with my honesty." He looked around. "May I ask where Horo Horo is?"

I looked down. He was the only one who wasn't informed of Horo-kun's accident because he couldn't be contacted in London. "Ah, he couldn't make it. He's with his sister, right now, resting."

"Ah, I see." His forehead creased. "You have no one escorting you in this celebration, Tamamura-san?"

"Um…"

Lyserg smiled kindly. "It's alright. I have no one to escort, so if you would kindly make do with me…" He offered a gentleman's arm to me. I accepted it gratefully.

Soon, the ceremony was over. Anna-okami's eyes twinkled when she spotted me in the crowd. Breaking the tradition, she placed the bouquet on my hands, then ushered her groom. Hao followed her obediently.

"Give the garter to Horo Horo."

Hao looked around briefly, then shrugged. "Hon, I don't feel the ainu's aura here."

Anna looked at me. "Where is Horo Horo?"

I looked down, debating whether to tell her about Horo-kun's dilemma.

Fortunately, Hao Asakura-sama saved the day. He planted a kiss on the itako's cheek. "Wait here, Ill go tell Opacho to find him."

"Hurry up," she said. "The waltz will start."

Soon enough, Hao returned, and the music began.  The newlyweds started off the cotillion, with couples surrounding them. I was about to shy away from the dancing when Lyserg came to my side, smiling. 

"Will Tamamura Tamao-san care to dance?" he asked, bowing elegantly.

I blushed. "Um… I don't know much about dancing."

"It's very easy," he said reassuringly. "Here, let me teach you a thing or two." He took my hand and pulled me alongside the dancing couples around the itako and Asakura-san.

What he said was true; it was actually very easy. All I had to do was move my feet and sway along with Lyserg-san as we moved around the groom and bride in clockwise precision. It went along smoothly, until I spotted a familiar figure seated in the corner of the room. Lyserg apparently had not noticed yet, so I dragged him away with me and led him to the Iron Maiden Jeanne, whose eyes widened when she spotted us.

"It's been a while, Jeanne-sama," I said, smiling.

She smiled back, shyly. "Y-Yes." Her eyes went to Lyserg, whom I could feel was starting to become very uncomfortable.

"Why don't you join us in the cotillion?" I asked.

Jeanne looked down. "Iie, I do not know how to dance. Besides, I just asked Marco to drop me here because…because I want to give my personal congratulations to the newlyweds." Her scarlet eyes went to Hao and Anna. "The devil Asakura looks so different now, doesn't he?"

I nodded. "You will be amazed at how much he had changed." I gave Lyserg a small push, and the dowser fell helplessly down on the untaken seat beside her. "A-Ah, gomen nasai, Diethly-san!" I cried, pasting a panicked look on my face that Horo-kun said made Tamamura Tamao a classic.

He winced. "Don't worry. I'm fine, Tamamura-san."

"Ah, that must mean you can't dance anymore," I said fretfully. "Jeanne-sama, will you please keep him company?"

"W-Where are you going?" they asked at the same time.

"Master Chocolove is calling me." With that, I hurried away from the two.

It was so much fun dancing; I had danced with Chocolove, Ryu, Faust, and even Hao Asakura-san. Manta turned down the offers to dance; he just sat down good-naturedly in the sidelines.

Now it was time for the ceremony of placing the garter. To my surprise, Horo Horo was already present, dressed in a handsome black tux. He also looked a little surprised when he saw me.

Everyone applauded when I sat down the chair and Horo-kun knelt down in front of me. The admiration I saw in his eyes was gone; I could see that even though he refused to look at me. He just mechanically placed the garter around my ankle, careful to avoid skin contact. However, when I lifted my leg a little higher, I saw him hesitate.

I smiled at him. "It's alright to touch me, Horo-kun. I trust you."

He suddenly looked up at me, and for a moment, I thought I saw the old twinkle in Horo-kun's eyes whenever he was delighted with me. But as sudden as it came did it disappear; he went back to the garter business.

Soon, the garter was in place. We both got up for the customary kiss. But when I turned his way, he looked confused. Perhaps he wasn't briefed about what to do; that was what I guessed when he turned to Hao Asakura helplessly.

I sighed; I better be the one to do it. I tiptoed and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, at the exact moment that he looked back at me.

It was only a second- no, a quarter of a millisecond, but it was a kiss. We broke apart in surprise as everyone cheered around us. But I didn't notice it anymore. I was engrossed in looking at Horo-kun's equally stunned face.     

Through his clear handsome eyes, I could see myself with wide, surprised eyes. I know my eyes reflect the same look on his face.

I instantly knew that I would never ever forget this moment.

That evening, I was rinsing the dishes while Pirika was wiping them.

_Crash!_ I blinked when I heard something shatter underneath me.

"Tamao' nee-san?" asked Pirika, looking at me intently. "That was the third plate you broke."

"G-Gomen nasai," I mumbled.

"Why? What happened in the wedding? Or the party? Onii-chan looks as distracted as you are, you know," she said.

"He does?" I echoed.

"Of course," she confirmed. "I didn't know why Opacho suddenly called for my brother, bringing a garter and a box of tux. But when she said that you are waiting for him in the reception, I let him go there. D-Did something happen?"

I shrugged. "He…placed the garter on my leg."

Her blue eyes full of youthful romantic excitement widened. "Hontou? That's so cute! What happened then?"

I wasn't able to reply, for a plate yet again slipped from my hands, making the official count for my damages four.

"You know, I'll talk to you later. Maybe you should go up to your room and rest. I can handle the rest from here," she said, giving me a gentle shove.

"B-But you had been working since this morning!" I protested.

"No problem! I had my rest this afternoon when you came home. This is nothing compared to what you do everyday for this house." Her voice meant period. That was one of the traits she shares with her brother; they could both be authoritarian-sounding.

"Thank you, Pirika," I said softly. I wearily climbed the stairs and opened the door of my room.

Only to find Horo Horo seated on my bed, looking at me as if waiting for me.

"Hi," he said quietly.

"H-Horo…kun," I whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not used to falling asleep without seeing you first," he explained. He got up. "Now that I saw you…I guess I better go sleep." He tried to walk past me when I suddenly grabbed the tail of his shirt. 

"M-Matte, Horo-kun!" I looked down. "Are you…are you mad at me?" I asked softly. "You didn't talk to me in the wedding reception."

He exhaled audibly. "Hai."

I looked at him, eyes shaking. "Doushite, Horo-kun?"

He laughed sadly. "You danced with so many men…but you didn't…you didn't dance with me." With that, he left my room, leaving me astounded.

**tsuzuku**


	8. Who I Am

"Horo-kun! Horo-kun, matte!" I heard Tamao call me. I turned around and found her running after me, cheeks flushed. I stood and waited for her, wondering what else would she say.

"I'm so sorry, Horo-kun," she said, looking at me apologetically. She suddenly took my hand and dragged me along with her.

"W-Where are we going?" I asked her slowly.

We ended up back in her room. She suddenly took my hand and placed it on her waist. She took my other hand and clasped it with hers, and slowly, she began to sway. I felt my feet move along with her.

"I'll dance with you right now," she informed me.

"But there's no music," I protested.

"I'll make the music then," she said immediately. "Da ra dum dum, dum dum, dum…" she began to hum, eyes twinkling.

"T-Tamao…"

"What is it, Horo-kun?" she asked, and for a moment, I felt myself transported to a certain place and time. The same lovely eyes that looked up to me and told me to come back.

"May I hold you close?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

"Of course," she smiled. She allowed my hand to tighten its grip on her waist, and crush her in my arms. The fog in my memory began to evaporate slowly as the familiar warmth began to race within me.

"Tamao?"

"Hmm?"

"I asked before what you were in my life. May I now ask this… what am I in your life?" I asked.

"You are my strength…" she began, resting her head on my shoulders. "My protector and my hero, and my most favorite person in the world…"

We were silent for awhile, as we danced to the silent music in our mind.

"Please don't forget that," I asked, almost beggingly. "No matter what happens, don't ever forget what you just told me. If you forget that…I don't know what I would do."

Her hand cupped my face, smiling affectionately. "Don't be silly, Horo-kun."

"No, I'm not kidding," I said, clasping her hand under my chin. "When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything. I couldn't remember who I am, where I am, and why I am in that place. I felt so helpless. It was only when I saw your face that I began to hope…to hope that somehow, I can remember someday. Do you know why?"

She shook her head.

"It's because when I saw you, it felt like coming home after a long journey. I couldn't understand why I couldn't remember anything about myself and yet, when it comes to you, my heart began to beat familiarly. When you told me who I was, I thought, 'Hey, this is one person who knows me'. From that moment, I never stopped wondering what kind of bond connects us, because you seem to know me so well, and at the same time, you were the first person I remembered was close to my heart."

"All those time you spent on telling me, helping me to remember who I am, I realized what a wonderful person I am. I know that I love my identity now even more than I used to before, because you made it sound in your stories that your Horo-kun could be so lovable and caring. For that, Tamao, I can never thank you enough. Knowing what a fine young man Horo Horo of the Ainu clan is, and how the people around him loves him, it inspired me to do my best to remember and regain my memory."

She laughed, eyes shaking. "Horo-kun, I was just telling what you really are."

I laughed too. "I know…but among the things you told me…what I know I would never forget was that you would never ever give me up, not without a fight."

"I told you that?" she was stunned.

"You didn't tell me that…your heart did. I just realized that right now, Tamao." I stopped dancing and hugged her tighter. "Thank you for your faith on me. And even if I forget again, I know that I won't be afraid anymore, because I know you are here, and will always be."

"Horo-kun…" She smoothed my cheeks. "You always had me, and will always do."

It was the most wonderful thing anyone told me, and as I felt a lump in my throat, the only thing I could say was, "Me too."

"Hey, don't cry. That's my job," she teased. "I know!" She suddenly dragged me downstairs excitedly.

The next morning, I woke up, feeling a little dizzy. Tamao and I slept late, watching some cartoons on VCD. Everyone else had gone to sleep that night, so the house echoed with our laughter.

Pirika was clearing the table when she saw me. I blinked. Didn't my sister sleep at all? I went to my room last night with her washing the plates with Tamao, and when we went down to watch TV, she was up in her room, making my training schedule that I was starting to remember too—unfortunately for me.

"Sit down and I'll prepared your breakfast," she instructed.

"Where is Tamao?" I asked. I was used to her preparing the food for me.

"Yohmei-sama sent her to the stock hut to pick some things up," my sister replied.

"Why didn't she wake me up?" I complained.

"And what would you do there?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Slack off? Stay here and help me with the household chores!"

"What's with your sudden interest in household chores?" I asked. "Instead of that, you should learn how to cook."

"Both you and Tamao' nee-san can cook, so why do I have to bother learning?" she asked, shrugging.

"What if the time comes for you to marry? What will your husband say?" I asked.

"I thought you don't want me to get married!" she said.

"It's a hypothetical situation," I said, although I had to admit that she got a small point there. "And besides, you know that we can't live in this house forever. When the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, we must leave already. Tamao won't be always there to cook for us." While I was saying that, I couldn't help but feel disturbed. What would me and my taste buds do when the time comes for us to leave? I was used to her already…her cooking, her lullabies, her kind words, her lovely smiles…

She smiled at me, winking. "I guess both of us will have a hard time coping when that situation comes, eh?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind." She returned to her work. "But it would be awfully nice if she is my real sister," she said, loud enough for me to hear even at a distance.

My mind protested.

"No, I mean, if I can have her for my sister legally," said Pirika. "Don't you think she's a wife material, Onii-chan?"

"That's incest," I grumbled.

"Onii-chan, I mean, she will automatically be my sister if you marry her," she explained, exasperated.

I finally got what she was saying. I groaned. "We're just friends."

"You look good as friends," she said. "But better if you are a couple."

"She treats me like a big brother and a son at the same time," I mumbled. "And vice-versa."

"I don't think so." My sister smiled knowingly. "At least with the vice-versa part."

I decided to ignore that. I started eating the contents of the breakfast plate that she handed me.

Just then, I got up suddenly, feeling that something very wrong was about to happen.

"Onii-chan?"

"Tell me how to go to the stock hut where Tamao went," I said urgently. The dread was growing within me every passing minute.

Ponchi and Konchi then arrived, panicking. "Tasukete!!! Tamao is in danger!!!"

"W-What happened to Tamao' nee-san?" asked Pirika, eyes wide.

"W-We were just playing around when we accidentally set the place on fire. Hurry up, she's trapped there!" said Ponchi, visibly frightened.

"Onii-chan!" shrieked Pirika when I wordlessly dashed out of the house.

From where I was running, I could see the black smoke rising. I hastened my dash, my feet barely touching the ground.

"Hang on, Tamao. I'm coming!" I said, praying with all my heart that she's still ok.

**tsuzuku**


	9. What is Forever?

This chapter is dedicated to Kiiro Asakura at sa kanyang tutang nangangagat, as well as to TK-san, and to those who read & reviewed, read & enjoyed, and read & fell in love together with Tamao.

Cheers for Horo/Tamao! ^__^ It didn't go on hiatus! Lolz

---

Door…door… where is the door? I rubbed my eyes that were hurting from the smoke. I coughed several more times; the fumes were hurting my chest too. "Ponchi!!!" I called desperately. "Konchi!!!"

Awhile ago, I heard them calling me, but I couldn't speak because I was afraid to gulp in the smoke. But now that I was losing hope on finding the door, I had screamed, out of desperation.

How far away am I really from the door? And hasn't anyone seen the smoke yet by now?

"Horo…Horo-kun…" A tear dropped down my cheek. No, I couldn't die. He still needed me. He said so last night. I couldn't let myself die now.

A large chunk of the wooden pillar fell right in front of me, and there and then, I knew that everything is beyond my control now.

I collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. I was feeling my consciousness quietly slip away from me. I couldn't feel anymore the searing pain of the flames licking on the hay-covered floor I was lying on.

"Gomen nasai, Horo-kun. I love you and all…but…" I murmured, eyelids getting heavier every passing second.

"Tamao!!!"

I opened my eyes weakly. Was that my angel calling me already? Am I dead then?

But the voice sure sounded like…

I heard something kick open some feet away from me, then I saw light. Someone was standing at the end of it.

I smiled. Even in heaven, my angel still looked like him.

"Tamao!!!" He was at my side all of a sudden, shaking me vigorously. "Tamao, open your eyes! Come on, Flower!" he said beggingly. 

Wait, only one person could call me that.

"Horo-kun?" I murmured.

"It sure isn't Santa Claus." He lifted my limp body up, then trudged through the flaming path.

Was it my imagination, or the flames were getting bigger?

"Put me down," I said. "You'll die too if you stay here. You can still make it out."

"Shut up!" he hissed. We both watched as another long piece of wood fell on our path.

"Horo-kun…"

"We'll make it out."

"There's no other way out…and I can't promise to stay conscious," I said. "I will just be a burden!"

"No prob," he said. "When you're unconscious, it will be much quieter."

"Horo-kun!" I was interrupted from what I was about to say when I noticed the roof above our heads crumbling. He followed my gaze.

And in that moment, the ceiling fell down on us. The last thing I was able to remember was that Horo Horo dove down to cover me from the falling debris.

I opened my eyes when I felt that everything had gone still. Why couldn't I feel the fire anymore?

"G'morning, Flower," said a familiar voice. I immediately looked up and saw Horo Horo grinning at me.

"W-We're…alive?" I whispered in disbelief.

He grinned. "I told you we'll make it out."

"We're alive!" I was incredulous. 

He looked at me as if I was some kind of a lunatic. "Do you have a problem with that? Do you want me to start another fire again so this time, we'll really die?"

"I…I just can't believe it," I said, shaking my head. "Awhile back, I was so sure we're going to die and-" I remembered when Horo Horo suddenly dove on top of me to protect me from the ceiling. I crawled towards him, inspecting his forehead. "Horo-kun, were you hurt?"

"A little," he admitted. He pointed to the side of his head. I knelt and crouched closer to him to see the severity of his injury when suddenly he grinned- the old Horo Horo naughty boyish grin I adored and missed so much- and embraced me. "Got ya!"

"Wha-" I was too shocked to react even when he pinched my nose fondly the way he always used to do.

"H-Horo?" That was only then when I struggled to free myself from his grasp. "Oh my! You're acting like you used to! Then that means…"

He laughed and raised his hands in mock surrender; they still had traces of used furyoku.

"It's not funny!" I screeched. "When had you recovered your memory?"

"It took a little headbang to make me remember some things," he said, grinning sheepishly. "And since things kept banging on my head consecutively, I recovered majority of my memories now. I think it was the shock treatment."

I gaped at him, and he laughed once more. "OK, to be honest with you, I have already retained some of my working memories since we left China. Although some things were still hazy in my memory, I have enough memories to know the circumstances," he admitted. "But the most crucial recovery of memories I had was when I danced with you." He laughed, although his eyes were very, very serious. "When I held you close, everything fell into its places. And just to be sure whether everything was back to normal, I asked you who I was in your life. And I was right; I was back home."

"H-Horo…Horo?"

"Home is where the heart is, and my heart lies with you," he said. "You are my home, Tamamura Tamao. Pirika and I have wandered all our lives, and I thought I was born a creature of the wind, always free. But when I found the small mimosa plant, I immediately knew that my days of freedom are over. I will forever be bound by that small lovely plant that crept silently its way into my heart."

I looked at him, almost fearfully. I waited for him to burst out laughing and say, "Got ya!" No, he couldn't mean the same thing my heart was hoping that he meant. He told Lyserg that I wasn't girlfriend material, right?

"Flower, say something!" he exclaimed. "I composed that dialogue while you were sleeping. Weren't you even touched?" He was a cross between an irritated boy and a very nervous-looking man.

"I-I was touched," I said slowly. "But I didn't understand."

"Gah!" He slapped his forehead. "Geez, I thought girls like poetic things?"

"Why…why were you suddenly so poetic?" I asked.

"Because girls like you like it," he explained, annoyed.

"N-No, I mean…what did you mean when you said all those freedom and wind stuff?"

He blinked, then groaned. "You're so dense!"

No, I'm not dense, I'm uncertain. But I pretended to play along. I wanted to hear him say it. "I just can't understand-"

"You don't, do you?" With one quick move, he had straddled me to the ground. I gulped inwardly.

"Actions speak louder than words…and it's more fun too." He bent down towards my face slowly.

"H-Horo?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not going to…kiss"me, are you?" I asked, voice barely audible.

"Of course not. I intend to devour you, that's all."

"Horo-kun!"

"Nani?"

"You'll carry this in your conscience. No one has kissed me ever before!" I threatened.

"Good. I'll kill any man who ever dared to touch my mimosa." He kissed my forehead lightly. "Mine." He kissed my eyelids. "Mine." My nose, my cheeks, and the corners of my mouth. "All mine alone." He smiled lazily at me, who was staring at him, stunned. Those feathery kisses had sent electricity up and down my spine.

"You fiend! I didn't specifically say you can kiss me," I said. Come on, Horo-kun. SAY IT!!!

"Kill me later. Just kiss me first."

"Ah, Horo-kun!!!" I couldn't stop myself anymore. "The magic words first, then you can kiss me without me killing you."

"Open sesame?"

"Iie!"

"Open refrigerator?"

"Horo-kun!"

"Oh yeah, that's my Yahoo password. Um, Sesame seeds?"

"Horo-kun, all you have to do is to tell me that you love me!!!" I burst out.

"I do," he said, surprised. "I love you as much as I love the moon, the stars, and the chili hotdogs combined-"

"OK," And with that, I pulled him towards me and kissed him hard. The kiss swelled with so much passion and love frustrated many months by the accident, but had only fanned the flames in our hearts and strengthen them.

"Tamao," he gasped when we pulled apart. "That was my first kiss! I'm going to tell Pirika that you forced me and-"

I hugged him close, laughing. This felt absolutely wonderful. After all those months I've suffered, feeling like this was worth everything. Definitely.

"Thanks a lot," he said dryly. "I give my best liplock performance of my life and I get laughed at. Really now, you can hurt my feelings so well!"

"I'm just happy," I said.

"Me too, and very, very grateful." He held me close again. "Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you so very much, Tamao. I can never thank you enough though."

"Just hold me like this," I whispered. "And never let me go."

"Never," he agreed, holding me tighter.

What is forever?

I couldn't say it in words, but I could see it in his eyes, feel it in his arms, smell it in his scent, hear it in his boyishly rough voice, and taste it in his lips. Whatever forever is, it was already sealed in my mind when he said "never".

The end

----------

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" I asked, frowning.

Pirika smiled. "I am positive that I won't come with you and be the third wheel."

Her brother grinned approvingly at me while I felt myself blush from head to toe. "O-Of course you won't be a third wheel!" I stammered, but only solicited laughter from her.

Six years had passed since that fateful afternoon, but it seemed just like yesterday. All those nights I cried…they were all compensated by the fact that I still have Horo Horo by my side.

"Well, if you won't come with us, what do you want for us to buy for take-out?" I asked.

She tipped her chin up. "Fries and large coke."

Horo-kun raised a thumbs up, then bowed exaggeratedly at me. "Shall we?"

I beamed. "We shall."

Holding hands, we rode on his snowboard. We were going to watch a movie I had been eyeing for days already. The romantic type, and not exactly Horo-kun's cup of tea. But since he knows it was my favorite actor doing the movie, he set aside his plans of watching The Matrix to watch my movie instead. We would play Street Fighter versus match afterwards, then dine out.

I heard him sigh happily, so I asked him why he did that.

"I don't know…I just can't help but feel like I'm the happiest guy in the world. I can never find anyone else in the world like you, Tamao," he said, smiling. "I'm in love with my best friend and my favorite mimosa, and she loves me back, even if she won't admit it."

"I won't admit anything!"

"Yeah right. Maybe I should kiss you and check if you'll retract what you said."

"Horo-kun!" I was about to pummel him when I saw something. "Hey wait!"

He paused. "Huh?"

I pointed to the car on the other side of the bush. "What is a beautiful car doing in there?"

"Parking, maybe" said Horo, grinning.

"Be serious!" I froze when I saw someone emerge from the car. He was taller than I remembered, but I could definitely sense the aura. I couldn't be wrong.

"What are you looking at?" asked Horo, trying to crane his neck and see. I shook my head. "Nothing. Let's go! We have to catch the seats!"

"Er-"

"Come on!" I dragged him away from the bush. I smiled secretly.

_Go Ren Tao. Go get her heart!_


End file.
